"Owen?" Her shaking voice betrayed every effort to sound normal. Eyes struggling to focus, breath shallow, control falling apart.
Owen was surprised at the scene but the woman in front of him was clearly in a more serious state.
He felt helpless.
He looked around, not sure what to look for.
He took a knee in front of the woman. "What happened?" He held her shoulders and shook her to stimulate a response. After the act, Owen realized instantly that he had shaken too hard. He rubbed her shoulders instead with moderate force. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry."
"Look at me, Lucy… I'm breathing. Breathe with me." Owen was breathing deeply and looking straight into Lucy's eyes, encouraging her to mirror the action.
The woman's breathing starts to slow down but her vision is still fuzzy.
*BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP* The loud sound woke up Lucy from the trance. The vehicles behind have been honking non-stop for a while now. Owen was irritated by the deafening noise but relieved that the woman's eyes finally showed signs of life.
She looked around before settling her eyes on the man in front.
"Stand up." He commanded but held Lucy's shoulder forcefully, guiding her to stand without much effort from her own body.
His hands stayed on her shoulders while walking her toward the car in front. He opened the passenger car and sat Lucy down without a word.
Lucy was too out of it to ask, or object, or resist. She sat timidly inside as she looked at Owen going around to get in the driver's seat. In her head, she was thankful she found someone she knew in this situation but her mind was not functioning enough to express gratitude.
She took in the foreign scent inside Owen's car in an attempt to dilute the anxiety in her body but looked down and saw her hands still shaking.
It was useless.
Lucy scrunched her hands tight in a ball.
Owen sat across the other side of the console and started to drive. He drove at a steady pace, and took a few turns, not saying a word. His actions calculated and relaxed.
A conversation would have comforted Lucy right now but the other party is obviously not interested. They rode in silence until the woman understood where they were going.
To Nana.
Owen might have thought this was where she was spending the night. Which is correct, anyway, but she felt something nauseating at his level-headedness.
They drove around and stopped at the back. She reluctantly touched the door handle and stopped to think of the right things to say at the moment. A thank you would be nice but it felt short of the things she wanted to express.
While she was digging her brains to find decent words, Owen opened his own door and walked towards her side of the car. He opened the door in haste.
"Get down." She followed the instructions mindlessly.
Lucy felt a steady lump of flesh against her right side and a firm hand on her left arm. Owen was holding her standing up. He then gestured something towards the building entrance and a wheelchair was rolling towards them in no time.
She wanted to ask why the nurses were going in their direction but she understood it instantly without asking. She was brought to the hospital for a check-up after the accident. "I'm okay." She mutters.
Owen had a judging look in his eyes when she met Lucy's eyes in close proximity. He released a bit of pressure from his hands and the young woman's knees wobbled like jelly. As if knowing it would turn out that way, the young man catches her instantly without much difference in their previous position.
The wheelchair came and Lucy's body was manouvered to take a seat. She was brought inside and received prompt attention from a female doctor.
The curtains were drawn around her, her vitals were checked, blood was drawn.
Lucy assumed that it was a normal physical examination routine, except the doctor was a bit thorough with their questions. Asking about her mood, habits, and whatnot. Really weird, but she answered nonetheless, wanting it to be over soon.
She's tired.
She had just closed her eyes when she heard a swish. The nurse came in holding a clipboard.
"Am I in the clear? I'm confident I have no injuries from the accident. Mr. Owen didn't even hit me."
"Accident?" The nurse flipped a couple of pages confusingly before speaking. "I'm sorry. You were not examined for any type of accident. Your guardian disclosed a possible panic disorder on the information sheet." She flipped a few more pages till she reached the end of the documents. "Let me get the doctor."
Before the nurse could grab the curtain, the doctor went in with Owen closely behind.
The nurse handed the clipboard to the doctor and made way to give standing space to the newcomers.
It was the physician's turn to turn the pages.
"How is she?" Owen asked casually without making eye contact with me or the doctor.
The doctor answered in the same casual tone but looked at me reassuringly. "The patient does not show symptoms of anxiety disorders."
Owen released a steady stream of air and Lucy noticed how his shoulders dropped slowly after hearing the news.
"But, her body does show signs of fatigue. I suggest keeping you here for the night to get an IV drip, then you are cleared to go in the morning." The doctor gave Lucy another warm smile.
"She has a patient in this hospital. Have it administered in that room." Owen, as cold as ever.
"Yes." The doctor responded instantaneously.
It raised suspicion in Lucy's mind again. How is Owen so authoritative in this hospital?
Owen was left inside the ward. The curtains are still left enclosed.
"I will not ask what happened. It's your business."
Lucy was feeling nauseous again but managed a faint smile. "Thank you."
Owen simply nodded and left the young woman to rest, closing the curtain behind him.
The curtain opened the same way it closed.
"On second thought, I should know any circumstances that can affect your ability to uphold our contract."